STOCKTON - Thunder coach Rich Kromm is not preparing for a game this weekend, and he couldn't be happier about it.

Stockton will get some time off thanks to its surprising sweep of the second-seeded Ontario Reign in the first round of the ECHL Western Conference playoffs, so there's no need to play Saturday's scheduled game at Stockton Arena. Instead, Kromm and his players will practice, let some guys heal injuries and feel good about their postseason start as they wait for an opponent for the conference semifinals.

The seventh-seeded Thunder will play the winner of the series between the No. 6 Bakersfield Condors and No. 3 Utah Grizzlies. The Condors won 3-2 in overtime on Thursday and lead the series 2-1. There is not a set date for when the best-of-seven semifinals will begin, but Stockton will start on the road and its home games will be on May 7, 9 and 10, if a fifth game is necessary.

The Thunder was given the first two games at home in the first round because of a scheduling issue at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena and took advantage. It beat the Reign 2-1 on Wednesday to finish the sweep and earn its break.

"It was very satisfying to see the guys take advantage of the home-ice situation, and the way we stayed with it in the last two games in their building," Kromm said. "We talked about everybody playing a part, and it was nice to see it happen."

Leading the way for the Thunder was goaltender Brian Foster, who stopped 109 of 116 shots in the series and allowed 1.75 goals per game with a .940 save percentage.

"It all started with the first game at home, and we just carried it through," Foster said. "Everyone is just very confident. And the next couple of days we're going to rest."

A few players will use the time to heal. Leading post-season scorer Jeremy Langlois, who has nine points in three games, sat out Game 4 because he was a little banged up, but Kromm said it was precautionary and should not affect his availability. Defenseman Andrey Pedan missed the past two games after getting slashed on the arm. He will be checked out thoroughly this week.

"This is great for us. We can take a little break and get people healthy," Kromm said. "There's still a lot to do."